BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, U.K., July 28, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Amersham plc (LSE:AHM) (NYSE:AHM) (OSE:AHM) announced today the appointment of Professor James E. Rothman to the newly-created position of Chief Scientific Adviser, following seven years of service on Amersham's Scientific Advisory Board. Professor Rothman will work with the Chief Executive, Sir William Castell, and will sit on Amersham's Portfolio Committee, which has primary responsibility for recommending the overall strategic direction of the company's research.Professor Rothman, currently Chairman of the Cellular Biochemistry and Biophysics Program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, is one of the world's most distinguished biochemists and cell biologists. Recently, Columbia University in New York announced that Professor Rothman will join the faculty of the Department of Physiology at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, where he will found the Center for Chemical Biology.
Professor Rothman is renowned for discovering the molecular machinery responsible for transfer of materials among cellular compartments, which provides the basis for communication between cells and organs in the body. Examples include the release of hormones like insulin to the blood and synaptic transmission in the brain. In 2002, he received the prestigious Albert Lasker Medical Research Award for this work. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) and its Institute of Medicine.
Sir William Castell commented, "Jim brings with him a rare combination of world class science and a genuine interest in its commercialisation. Harnessing his skills and his interests will allow Amersham to further develop the inspirational leadership of our most important investment, innovation."
Professor Rothman said, "The post-genomic era is an exciting time for biology and there is huge potential for improving healthcare. Amersham has the skills to develop and deliver the products that will help to revolutionise how biology is done and ultimately unlock the potential of the human genome. By improving the understanding of the link between genes, proteins and disease, Amersham is exceptionally well positioned for the coming era of personalised medicine."
Amersham is a world leader in medical diagnostics and in life sciences. Headquartered in the UK, the company had sales of 1.62 billion Pounds in 2002 and has 10,000 employees worldwide. Its strategy is to build its position as a leading provider of products and technologies enabling disease to be better understood, diagnosed earlier and treated more effectively. Amersham - bringing vision to medical discovery For more information, visit our website at www.amersham.com
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Professor James E. Rothman
Professor. James Rothman, one of the world's most distinguished biochemists and cell biologists, is currently Chairman of the Cellular Biochemistry and Biophysics Program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He has also held the Paul A. Marks Chair in Cellular Biochemistry and Biophysics since 1991. Dr. Rothman received his Ph.D. degree in biological chemistry from Harvard Medical School in 1976. He also attended Harvard Medical School from 1971 to 1973. From 1976 to 1978, he completed a fellowship in the Department of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. From 1978 to 1988, he was a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at Stanford University. Prior to coming to MSKCC in 1991, Professor Rothman was the E.R. Squibb Professor of Molecular Biology at Princeton University (1988-1991). Recently, Columbia University in New York announced that Professor Rothman will join the faculty of the Department of Physiology at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, where he will found the Center for Chemical Biology. Professor Rothman is renowned for discovering the molecular machinery responsible for transfer of materials among compartments within cells. In so doing, Rothman provided a unified conceptual framework for understanding such diverse and important processes as the release of insulin into the blood, communication between nerve cells in the brain, and the entry of viruses like the AIDS virus to infect cells. Numerous kinds of tiny membrane-enveloped vesicles ferry packets of enclosed cargo. Each type of vesicle must somehow deliver its specialized cargo to the correct destination among the maze of distinct compartments that comprise the cytoplasm of a complex animal cell. Understanding the delivery process, termed membrane fusion, was fundamental for medicine as well as cell biology, since alterations in these pathways are important in cancer, diabetes, and diseases of the central nervous system, and membrane fusion is the target for the next generation of drugs to control AIDS. Professor Rothman's laboratory has also successfully translated the principles of basic cell biology to develop novel engineered fluorescent proteins that report synaptic activity, secretion, and intracellular pH in formats suitable for cell-based screening.
Professor Rothman has received numerous awards and honors in recognition of this work, including most recently the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award and the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize of Columbia University, both in 2002. He has also received the King Faisal International Prize for Science (1996), the Gairdner Foundation International Award (1996), the Lounsbery Award of the National Academy of Sciences (1997), and the Heineken Foundation Prize of the Netherlands Academy of Sciences (2000). He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (1993) and its Institute of Medicine (1995), and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1994).